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Susan Mayer Delfino
Susan Delfino (née Bremmer, previously Mayer) takes first prize for Wisteria Lane's most disaster-prone resident. Susan's best quality is also the one that gets her into the most trouble: her huge, open heart. Vivacious, smart, and warm, Susan has a habit of opening herself too easily and seeing the best in everyone, even when her judgement tells her otherwise. Susan has been known for her clumsiness, a trait which has placed her in countless embarrassing situations, including accidentally setting Edie’s house on fire, being locked out of her own house naked, and falling off a mechanical bull. However, she does possess a certain charm about her, a charm that has gotten her in desirable and undesirable situations alike. 'Biography' Susan is one of several residents of the fictitious Wisteria Lane, she currently resides at 4353 Wisteria Lane in Fairview, Eagle State. Susan is a former children's book writer and illustrator but takes a job as an art teacher's assistant at a private elementary school in the fifth season of the series. She has been married four times—twice to Karl Mayer and twice to Mike Delfino—and has two children, Julie Mayer and M.J. Delfino. 'Personality' Susan Mayer is primarily characterized as an "accident-prone" klutz, misfortune she inherited from her mother. Actress Teri Hatcher described Susan as "no suave" and "the least lucky person you'll want to meet." She "rarely has an error-free moment... and when it seems things are finally looking up for her, she does something terrible to screw it up." Her susceptibility to bad luck and embarrassing situations have created some of the series' most memorable moments, including accidentally burning down Edie's house and being locked out of her own house completely naked. Susan is also emotionally-driven and a hopeless romantic. Within the series, she has described herself as someone who always lets a romantic fantasy consume her. She has a strong reliance on men, as evidenced when Edie deduces that Susan only spent forty-one days of her high school and college years single. Susan feels incomplete while in between relationships. When the series begins, it has been a year since her divorce, "but she is still a teary, fragile mess" and her self-esteem has been "essentially ruined." Hatcher describes Susan at the beginning of the series as "fumbly and vulnerable." Following another break-up in season one, Susan envies her mother for being able to move on after heartbreak while she is "just broken." Several other characters in the series have also confronted Susan about her inability to live happily and without drama. Susan's poor cooking skills have also become a running gag in the series. 'Character History' 'Early Life' Susan Bremmer was raised by single mother Sophie Bremmer. She was told her father, a United States Merchant Marine, died in the Battle of Hanoi during the Vietnam War. She was a cheerleader in her high school days and graduated as valedictorian of her class. However, she attended community college and eventually began writing and illustrating children's books. Her first book was Ants in My Picnic Basket. In her early twenties, Susan married Karl Mayer and gave birth to their daughter, Julie at age twenty-six. In 1992, the family moved to Wisteria Lane in Fairview, Eagle State, where Susan befriended Mary Alice Young, her new neighbor. Susan became close friends with Mary Alice and with Bree Van de Kamp, Lynette Scavo, and Gabrielle Solis when they each moved onto Wisteria Lane. Susan was also friends with Edie Britt until she found out that she was sleeping with a married man. This led to the development of a love-hate relationship between the two women. During Susan and Karl's marriage, Karl was not loyal to his wife and flirted with numerous women. He had an affair with his secretary, Brandi, and left Susan in 2003, after twelve years of marriage. The two divorced and agreed to share custody of Julie, although she lived primarily with Susan. Season One The series begins a year after Susan's divorce. Mary Alice's unexpected suicide provokes Susan's suspicion about the Young family; however, her attention re-shifts when she meets a plumber, Mike Delfino, who has recently moved across the street. Susan begins to pursue Mike, only to find that Edie Britt has also taken a liking to the new neighbor. In an attempt to discover if Edie is sleeping with Mike, Susan enters her home and overhears Edie having sex with someone upstairs. Susan accidentally burns down Edie's house. Despite feeling guilty, Susan is pleased to learn that Mike was not in Edie's company. Susan and Mike's interest in one another deepens, though Edie continues to pose competition for his affections. Eventually, Edie backs off and Susan and Mike consummate their relationship, eventually professing their love for one another. Having discovered a blackmail note among Mary Alice's belongings after her death, Susan and her friends begin questioning the truth behind her suicide and the secrets her family kept. Susan and Julie discover that Mary Alice's husband, Paul had their son, Zach Young, committed to a youth mental institution. Julie begins corresponding with Zach without Susan's knowledge. When he escapes the mental institution, Julie allows him to stay in her room without her mother's knowledge. Susan and Mike discover Zach while Julie is at school and return him to Paul. Soon, however, Susan discovers that Julie and Zach are dating, which makes her uneasy. When she asks Zach to stop seeing her daughter, he has an outburst, provoking her to forbid him from seeing Julie at all. As her relationship with Mike moves forward, Susan begins to uncover pieces of his hidden past. Her suspicions are aroused first when she meets Kendra Taylor, a mysterious woman from Mike's past, and again when she discovers a gun and large sums of money in his kitchen cabinets. During their Valentine's Day dinner, Mike collapses from a gunshot wound that he insists was self-inflicted. Additionally, Lynette's children find bloody jewelry in Mike's garage that connect him with the murder of Wisteria Lane resident Martha Huber. Susan and her friends decide to submit the evidence to the police. However, upon police investigation, she recalls that she and Mike had sex for the first time on the night Martha went missing. When Susan is brought in for questioning, she learns that Mike was convicted for manslaughter and drug trafficking in 1987 and that his gunshot wound suggests he was responsible for a break-in across town. Susan breaks off the relationship. In her new-found free time, Susan's interest in the Young family is renewed. She uncovers details of Mary Alice's real name, Angela, and the possible existence of a second Young child. Paul fabricates unconvincing lies to thwart Susan's efforts to discover his family's secrets. When a private detective (who was paid off by Paul) confirms his lies, Susan asks him to look into Mike's history. She is mortified to learn that Mike's victim was a cop. She contacts Kendra, hoping to understand the full story. Kendra explains that her sister and Mike's girlfriend at the time, Diedre, got involved in drugs and was forced to trade sex for freedom by a corrupt police officer. Mike, in trying to protect Dierdre and himself, unintentionally killed the cop. Susan reignites her relationship with Mike. Mike and Susan move into her house. While Mike is away on business, Susan goes to his house to feed his dog and discovers Zach, armed with a handgun. He tells her wait for Mike to return home so he can kill him. Season Two When Mike returns home to find Zach holding Susan hostage, Susan takes the gun from Zach and fires it harmlessly. Zach escapes, which leads Mike to confess to Susan that Zach is his biological son that Dierdre had sold to Mary Alice and Paul years earlier. Given her history with Zach and his family, Susan tells Mike that if he continues to search for Zach, they cannot move in together. Susan and Mike decide to continue their relationship on a more casual basis. However, Susan eventually decides that she is willing to accept Zach for Mike's sake. She agrees to help Mike on his search and she eventually finds Zach on her own. She tries to convince him to come home; however, when he mentions his hope of rekindling his romance with Julie, she agrees to give him money to go to Utah and look for Paul. Paul returns to Wisteria Lane and assumes that Susan knows where Zach is. She reluctantly tells him how she sent him to Utah, and Paul passes the information on to Mike. Feeling angry and betrayed, Mike terminates the relationship. Susan is dismayed to learn that her ex-husband, Karl, has moved in with Edie. After her break-up with Mike and a brief split between Karl and Edie, Susan and Karl sleep together. The next morning, Susan tells Karl there is no chance of them getting back together and Karl returns to Edie. With less passion in her life, Susan decides to write an autobiography. While doing research about her father, Susan learns that there never was a Battle of Hanoi, forcing her mother to confess that her father is still alive and lives across town. She tries to establish a relationship with her reluctant father, Addison Prudy, a local business owner, but her attempts are effectively unsuccessful. After a trip to hospital for bumping her head, Susan meets Dr. Ron. The two begin seeing each other. He also informs her that she has a wandering spleen and will need a operation. Susan learns that her health insurance will not cover the operation. Edie suggests that she marry someone who has a good health plan and needs a wife. After her husband of convenience backs out at the last minute, Karl offers to marry her. They agree to keep the fake marriage a secret from Edie and Ron. Before her surgery, a nurse at the hospital discovers that Susan is married. While under anesthesia, Susan confesses her love for Mike to Ron, prompting the nurse to reveal her earlier discovery. Ron ends the relationship and informs Edie of Susan and Karl's marriage. Edie is furious and demands Karl give her a lavish wedding. Later, Karl tells Susan that he broke up with Edie and the two end up in bed together again. The next morning, he admits that he has not yet broken up with her. When Karl finally does leave Edie, he tells her there is someone else. In response, Edie hires a private detective to identify his other woman. Upon learning that Susan is the other woman, Edie intentionally sets Susan's house on fire. In this time of need, both Mike and Karl vie for Susan's affections. She tells Karl that he must sign their divorce papers even though he still loves her. She and Mike then make plans to meet for dinner at nearby Torch Lake, where Mike plans to propose. On his way to dinner, Mike is a victim of a hit-and-run at the hands of Orson Hodge, whom Susan had recently befriended. Season Three As a result of the hit-and-run, Mike falls into a coma. Having lived in denial for six months, Susan begins to think that Mike may never wake up. Susan then begins dating Ian Hainsworth, a British man whose wife, Jane, has been in a coma for years. Susan and Ian decide to take a romantic vacation in the country and have sex for the first time. Meanwhile, Edie visits Mike in the hospital to retrieve her CD player and Mike awakens. Edie learns that Mike now suffers from amnesia and his most recent memory is moving to Wisteria Lane in 2004, over two years ago. Edie sees a window of opportunity and, rather than helping Mike recall the past two years of his life, she lies and says that while Mike and Susan were dating, she treated him "like dirt" and he did not love her. Mike believes Edie's lies and turns Susan away when she comes to visit. Susan learns that Edie has been taking advantage of Mike's amnesia by pretending to be his girlfriend. Mike is unwilling to listen to Susan's explanation of the truth, especially when he learns about Ian. Having lost hope, Susan continues her romance with Ian. Susan is suspicious of Bree's new husband, Orson, especially after his former neighbor, Carolyn Bigsby, accuses him of murdering his missing wife, Alma. Bree soon confides in Susan and tells her that Orson may have murdered his former mistress, Monique Pollier, as well. However, Mike is arrested for Monique's murder, restoring both Bree's faith in Orson and Susan's loyalty to Mike. Edie breaks up with Mike, leaving him without bail. Ian issues an ultimatum, promising to pay Mike's bail if Susan stops seeing and speaking to him. Susan tips off the police about Orson's possible involvement in Monique's murder, causing a rift in her friendship with Bree. After Jane passes away, Susan realizes that must stay completely true to Ian and backs away from Mike, who has been acquitted. Almost immediately after, Susan accepts a marriage proposal from Ian and she and Bree reconcile. As he slowly regains his memory, Mike remembers how he was going to propose to Susan before the hit-and-run. He challenges Ian for her affections in a game of poker, which Ian wins. Mike initially backs off, but begins pursuing Susan once again. Soon, Mike and Ian admit to having bet her in a poker game. She calls off the wedding and declares that she does not want to see either of them again. Realizing that letting both of them go is a mistake, Susan decides to take Ian back. However, he tells her that he cannot spend the rest of his life wondering if she is still in love with Mike, and he leaves. Susan and Mike reunite and become engaged. The couple get married in a private ceremony in the woods, with Julie as their only guest. Season Four One month after marrying Mike, Susan learns that she is pregnant. While looking into their medical histories for the baby's interest, Mike is forced to tell Susan that he lied about his father being dead. Susan visits Mike's father, Nick, who is in jail for murder. Nick warns Susan that Mike has had a troubled past and she should keep an eye on him. With the stress of finances for the baby, Mike begins working overtime, despite an injury resulting from the hit-and-run over a year ago. He begins relying on pills and accidentally leaves one on Bree's kitchen floor for her to find. She convinces Susan to confront him. Mike apologizes and promises to stop taking the pills. However, Susan finds pills in Mike's truck and tells him that if he does not go to rehab, she will leave him; he agrees to commit himself. After a devastating tornado hits Wisteria Lane, Bree, Orson, and their newborn, Benjamin, move into Susan's house temporarily. During his stay, Orson develops a sleep walking habit and unconsciously admits to running Mike over to Julie. Julie tells Mike, who then addresses Orson about his confession. Exemplifying clear signs of remorse, Orson admits once more what he had done. Susan feels extremely betrayed and Bree, unable to forgive Orson, asks him to move out. Shortly after, Susan gives birth to a baby boy. They name their son Maynard, after Mike's deceased grandfather. Also, Julie leaves to attend Princeton University for an early summer internship. 'The Missing Years' In the five years that take place between seasons four and five, Susan and Mike are involved in a car crash that kills a mother and her daughter. Although Susan was driving, Mike takes the blame, as Susan cannot find her license after the accident. Susan feels incredibly guilty for taking the lives of Lila and Paige Dash, but Mike insists it was not their fault. The argument over the topic becomes so great that it results in divorce. Giving up on love, Susan engages in a casual relationship with her house painter, Jackson Braddock. Season Five Susan had managed to keep her relationship with Jackson a secret from her friends and her son, nicknamed M.J. Despite their initial agreement to have their relationship strictly sexual, Jackson seeks for a deeper connection. Jackson asks if he can move in with Susan, who responds by confessing that she wants to keep the relationship as it is. Soon enough, Mike and M.J. learn about the relationship. Mike and Jackson become friends, which Susan agrees is healthy for M.J.'s sake. Still, Mike works long hours and lives far away, causing him to miss out on his son's life. As a result, he moves across the street from Susan. Jackson makes the sudden announcement that he is moving to nearby Riverton and asks Susan to come with him. After much consideration, Susan decides that she is unsure of what she wants and turns down Jackson's offer. Much to her dismay, Susan learns that Mike has begun dating Katherine, her close friend and neighbor. Realizing that she cannot keep Mike from being happy, Susan gives the couple her blessing, despite still feeling uncomfortable. Fearing that M.J. is getting left behind in school, she takes a job at a private school in order to enroll M.J. and pay for his tuition. With both Susan and Mike employed, M.J. spends a great amount of time under Katherine's care. Susan is uncomfortable with M.J. spending so much time with her and is heartbroken to learn that Mike is moving in with Katherine and that M.J. will be seeing Katherine more often. Following Edie's death in a fatal car accident, Susan attempts to comfort Edie's husband, Dave Williams. She then explains to him the truth behind her own accident and how the guilt tore apart her marriage. Susan is unaware that Dave is the husband of Paige and Lila Dash and has been seeking revenge against Mike for taking away his family. Meanwhile, Jackson returns to Fairview and proposes to Susan. She is relieved, as she never truly got over her feelings for him. However, he then explains that he is in the country on an expired visa and only needs to marry Susan to stay in the country and continue his work. When Susan learns that Mike, who is engaged to Katherine, will no longer have to pay alimony once she is married, she explains the false pretenses of her engagement. Dave overhears this and reports Jackson to immigration officials. With Jackson out of the picture, Dave invites Susan and M.J. on a fishing trip, planning to kill M.J. just like Susan killed his own child. Dave leaves behind a video tape detailing his plan. Mike finds it and abandons Katherine at the airport right before their flight for their Las Vegas wedding to save Susan and M.J. Mike calls Susan to warn her, but Dave commands the situation and tells Mike to meet them at the sight of their car accident some years earlier. Dave bounds Susan on the side of the road and plans to drive his car, with M.J. in it, right in front of Mike's car as he approaches at top speed. However, guilt consumes Dave and he lets M.J. out. Dave and Mike's cars still collide, but no one is seriously injured. Susan and Mike share a brief kiss. Dave is sent to a mental hospital in Boston and two months later Mike marries an unidentified bride. Season Six Mike's bride is revealed to be Susan in the sixth season premiere. In the eight weeks leading up to the wedding, Susan avoids any contact with Katherine, failing to offer her support or an apology. Katherine disrupts Susan and Mike's wedding, prompting a guilty Susan to apologize to her in a church full of guests. Katherine rejects her apology. A rivalry is born and later that night, Julie is strangled outside Susan's home. Following her attack, Julie falls into a coma. Danny, the nineteen-year-old son of new neighbor Angie, is the prime suspect for the strangler, as he and Julie had a very brief relationship. When he is arrested, Susan learns to be cautious and resentful of the new family on Wisteria Lane. Danny's name is cleared after his alibi is found to be valid. Susan and Angie reconcile. When Bree's son and Julie's close friend, Andrew Van de Kamp, comes to visit Julie in the hospital, he accidentally tells Susan that Julie dropped out of medical school and was having an affair with a married man and had a pregnancy scare prior to her attack. When Julie awakens, Susan tries to get Julie to reveal the identity of the man she was sleeping with, but she refuses. Katherine continues to pursue Mike, believing that he is still in love with her. Susan accidentally shoots Katherine, thinking she is a prowler outside her home one night. The bullet barely grazes Katherine's arm and the incident goes unreported. Angie suggests that Katherine may have strangled Julie, thinking she was Susan, as an act of revenge. Susan reports this theory to the detectives working on Julie's case. An investigator not only validates Katherine's alibi with phone records but takes Susan into custody for shooting Katherine and not reporting the crime. Susan is sentenced to picking up trash for community service as a consequence for her reckless actions. In the wake of a second attack, Susan grows concerned for Julie's safety, fearing that she might still be involved with the married man. While following Julie, she discovers that Bree and Karl are involved in an affair on their own. Although feeling betrayed, Susan gives them her blessing after realizing that they are in love. Meanwhile, Katherine becomes dangerously close with M.J., trying to convince him that his mother is a bad person. Mike tells her to stay away and that he never loved her. After he leaves, Katherine calls 9-1-1 asking for an ambulance, and then stabs herself with a knife with Mike's fingerprints on it. Katherine frames Mike for her wound. Susan, realizing that Katherine has suffered a total nervous breakdown, calls Katherine's daughter, Dylan, who comes to town and has her mother committed for psychiatric observation. Karl dies as a result of a plane crash on Wisteria Lane and he leaves his share of a local strip club to Susan. Before selling her share of the club, she convinces an unsatisfied stripper, Robin, to quit her job. When Robin fails to land on her feet, Susan invites her to stay in her home temporarily. 'The Future' 'Incorrect Future/Dream' Susan contemplates the possibility of a life with her late ex-husband had they remained together. Instead of allowing Karl walk out on their marriage, Susan envisions herself stopping Karl and requesting the two of them to reach a compromise, ultimately remaining together for the sake of their daughter, Julie. Susan begins the reparation of their marriage by prompting Karl to list all of the women that he had slept with during their marriage. Not realizing that Karl's list of lovers was longer than she had initially hoped, Susan expresses her discomfort at her own idea and argues that "sometimes, secrets between a couple can be a good thing". Unfortunately, due to her much inhibited personality and lack of initiative to confront Karl about his infidelities, Susan becomes overweight. After a horrendous failed attempt at seducing Mike - who dropped by to fix her sink - to get back at Karl, Susan resolves to shed her unsightly pounds in order to become attractive for her husband once again. Some time after Susan is nearing the last few stages of regaining her former body back, Karl unfortunately decides to walk out on their marriage officially. A sympathetic Karl tenderly informs a heartbroken Susan that she could "do better" and leaves her alone. 'Relationships' 'Family' Father: Addison Prudy, Mother: Sophie Bremmer-Flickman, Step-Father: Morty Flickman, Step-Mother: Carol Prudy, Siblings: Unnamed half sibling (via Addison), Uncle: Frank Bremmer, Cousin: Tim Bremmer, Husband: Mike Delfino, Ex-husband: Karl Mayer, Daughter: Julie Mayer, Son:M.J. Delfino, Step-son: Zach Young, Father-in-law: Nick Delfino, Mother-in-law: Adele Delfino 'Romantic Relationships' *Dr. Ron McCready (ex-boyfriend) *Ian Hainsworth (ex-fiancé) *Jackson Braddock (ex-fiancé) 'Non-canon appearances' 'Desperate Housewives: The Game' In the PC video-game, Desperate Housewives: The Game, Susan is seen in Bree's house along with the other housewives, Lynette, Gabrielle and Edie. Susan reveals her relationship with Dr. Ron McCready to the protagonist, suggesting that the game is set during Season Two of the show. 'Trivia' *Susan was originally planned to be named 'Susan Meyer' (stated in the book, "Behind Closed Doors"). *Both Courteney Cox and Heather Locklear turned down the role, Cox because she was pregnant (but she was Marc Cherry's first choice for the role) and Locklear because she was starring in LAX. Michelle Rodriguez, Calista Flockhart and Mary-Louise Parker were also considered before the part went to Teri Hatcher. *Susan drives 5 cars on the show- 1983 Volvo 240 Wagon (1x01), 2003 Volvo XC70 (1x02-3x18), 2007 Volvo XC70 (3x19-4x17), 2002 Cadillac Escalade (5x01) and a 2009 Volvo XC60 (5x02-Present) *Susan has married both of her husbands twice. *Susan loves to have her ears nibbled during sex (DH: We're So Happy You're So Happy) Category:Main characters